Like the Rain
by Palatyne
Summary: She was like the rain. Like the rain, she washed away everything that he was before. Now he was renewed, reborn, to live only for her.


**Like the Rain**

by The Fairy Palatyne

Disclaimer: I do not own the original story and characters of _Ouran High School Host Club_. The manga was created by Bisco Hatori serialized in _Lala_ magazine, the anime was produced by _Bones_.

Water lashed steadily across the car's windshield. Outside, the road seemed to glitter as the minute drops of rain struck the solid pavement.

The rain was incessant but mild. The forecast that morning warned of scattered showers but no immediate storms. Still, he was worried, for he had seen from afar a brief flash of white light – deceivingly benign in it soundlessness.

He was worried, but an observer would not have noticed. He had the appearance of a man on a leisurely drive. His face was set in a relaxed and almost expressionless look – except for the slight and almost imperceptible furrow of anxiety on his brows. He drove the car with the ease of one who practiced constantly, his hands on the wheel were steady – yet the same hands were gripping the wheel too tightly, the knuckles white with vented force.

Unlike his friends, he preferred driving his own car. His family was not short of servants or drivers, but he disliked having others do tasks which he could do himself. He did not grow up to be overly conscious of his family's wealth and prestige, and he viewed servants more as helpers rather than slaves.

He was cautious; he knew the roads to be more dangerous than normal. He was calm; he knew that speeding will entail risks – risks that might delay him even more. With the discipline born of his training, he checked his emotions and concentrated instead on the road ahead.

His training taught him discipline, self-reliance and independence. It also taught him the merits of a calm mind and the value of silence.

Silence, the silence which almost cost him the only thing he ever truly desired.

He lived most of his life with the understanding that he was to give his best in service of the Haninozuka, in particular his cousin – as his ancestors had done centuries before him. He did his best, loved and served his cousin in the best of his abilities. He did his duties, continued his training, went to school while maintaining his vow of service.

For a time, it was enough.

_Until, Fujioka Haruhi._

She arrived, just when he had already planned the rest of his life. She came, just when he thought he had everything he could ever need, everything he could ever want and certainly everything that he could have.

_Haruhi_.

She came like the rain, washing away everything. She was like rain, her gentleness, her honesty, her courage, like rivulets washing over him, eroding his barriers.

Before he was even aware of it, before he even realized the depth of his feelings, he was already sinking, slowly and painfully. It was her smiles, her kind remarks, the way her brown eyes would light up with pleasure over the simplest of things.

Still he remained silent, aware of his own feelings yet incapable to control them. For the first time in his life he felt completely, utterly powerless – disarmed by the gentle warmth of her eyes. She was kind to him, as she was to everyone. He did not delude himself into thinking she felt something more – but at times, at times he would catch a faint coloring of her cheeks whenever he said her name. At times, she would gift him with a rare smile – a smile that would dazzle him, a smile which he would sometimes think was meant solely for him. But such thoughts, he did not permit to linger on his mind.

It was a silent agony. He watched in silence as one by one his friends competed for her attention – Tamaki, Hikaru, Kaoru, Hunny, even Kyouya, in his own way.

He watched in silence as one by one they vied and fought for her affection, for her love, for possession of her heart.

No one noticed, not even her. In the end, it was Hunny who found out – but even he did not come close to guessing his true feelings. It was he who noticed the faint shades of sleeplessness in his eyes – eyes which would at times suddenly flicker with conflicting emotions – longing, desperation, jealousy.

Beneath the veneer of silence and calm, there was a mounting storm – and it was rising closer and closer to the surface.

_The rain…_

It was the rain which came unbidden one summer day, unexpected and unwanted. It was through a curtain of water that he saw her, trying her best to protect herself from the squall, seeking refuge under a tree, her distress evident with her movements.

He saw her from across the grounds, from inside the safety of classroom. It was then that he knew what he had to do. In his sleepless, silent agony, he threw away all restraint, leaving behind everything but himself. He ran across the halls, ignoring the gasps of surprise from the people around him, wanting only to reach the school grounds.

As he stepped outside he felt at once the sharp lash of rain. It seemed to pour all its force into him, drenching him, water seeping into his skin, into his bones. Across the grounds he ran like the wind, a steady wind towards her direction. Spray flew from his clothes, from his face and hair. Still he ran, uncaring of his state – thinking only of reaching her, thinking only of his goal.

He reached her and he stood before her, soaked to his skin, chest heaving with exhaustion. She was staring at him, eyes wide with shock.

"Mori-sempai?!"

It was her voice, her distinct voice, the way his name rolled from her lips – it released him from his silence, the storm-within was emerging, rising from every part of his being.

"Haruhi…"

_You are like the rain…_

He had arrived sooner than he expected, blitzing past the last few streets. Only when he reached the familiar place did his anxiety lessen. The apartment was dark and quiet as he showed himself in, grateful for his own key.

He had already asked her to move in with him- partly for her sake, but mostly for his peace of mind. He had everything worked out. The only thing he needed was her cooperation – something not easily achieved. She had already refused him twice, but he was patient and he knew that she would eventually agree.

In the darkness he expertly moved towards the direction of her bedroom. He opened the door deftly, making no sound.

She was on the bed, apparently asleep. Only then did his worry vanish, to be replaced by a sudden onrush of relief – relief in her safety, comfort in her presence.

With silent steps he moved towards the bed, gripped with a strong urge to take her into his arms. Climbing unto the bed, he gently lay by her side, for a while content with simply listening to her steady breathing.

He was relieved that she was asleep. He was half-expecting her to be huddled in some corner of the apartment, or under the bed. His anxiety was ill-founded, there was no thunder after all.

Belatedly, he realized that he rushed to her apartment not just because of the thunder, not just because he was worried.

He came because he simply wanted to be with her, to be beside her – even only to watch her sleep.

"Takashi?"

The sound of her voice startled him. She had woken and was turning around to face him. She was looking at him, her large brown eyes heavy-lidded with disrupted sleep.

Inwardly he berated himself for his carelessness. Coaxing her back to slumber, he turned to his side and moved closer to her. He moved his hand to encircle her waist, while he nuzzled her neck before gently nudging her back to her side.

"I'm here. Go back to sleep…" His words were gentle but urging.

She acquiesced, comforted by his warmth, his presence.

"Thank you." She whispered.

"What for?"

"For coming here…"

Her words both moved and worried him. He wondered if there were still doubts in her, if she did not yet feel completely secure. Once gain he cursed his inadequacy, his silence, his inability to give voice to his feelings.

He wanted to tell her everything, wanted to assure her, wanted to comfort her with words.

But there was only silence.

Instead, he gently moved his hand from her waist, trailing upwards. Over the gentle swell of her breast he placed his hand, feeling her steady breathing and the faint yet unmistakable beating of her heart.

It was his unspoken vow. In exchange for heart he offered her himself, and all that he could give her.

His wordless promise, the quiet gesture, was enough for her.

She placed her hand over his, cradling it.

He moved closer to her, molding his body against her. He moved his legs to encase hers. She inclined her head so it nestled on the hollow of his neck.

Soon she slept, enfolded in his warmth. Only when he was certain that she had drifted off did he allow himself to sink into slumber, his hand still entwined with hers over her beating heart.

In the last moments of consciousness, he remembered the words he spoke to her long ago – the words which he thought he could never speak, words born of desperation, longing, jealousy, words wrenched from the depths of his heart, a lifetime's worth of words which poured out of him like a deluge.

_You are like the rain._

_Like the rain, you have washed away everything I was before._

_Now I am bare. I am naked but for you._

_Without you I have nothing._

_Without you I am nothing._

_I am cleansed, renewed, reborn._

_Now I live, only for you._

finis


End file.
